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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Almond and Cornmeal Cake

I sliced, peeled, and froze a boat load of peaches while they were still in season a couple of months ago. I knew that at some point in the late summer or fall, I would want their sweet, juicy, peachy goodness. After I extracted the boat load from the freezer, cooked them down, and made these popsicles, I had a mason jar full of leftover cooked peaches. So they seemed like the perfect thing to pile atop this cake, what with its tender cornmeal crunch, subtle honeyed sweetness, and almond overtones. Of course October is not the time for fresh peaches, but no worries, any fruit or jam or cream or whatever you like will do as a topping to this beauty. Although, an unadorned slice of this cake is just as honest and delicious. Happy fall!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment, and grease the parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (cornmeal through salt). In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add extracts, honey, yogurt, and coconut oil, and whisk to combine. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Take care not to open the oven too early, as this cake is prone to sinking a bit in the middle.

Let cool 20 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. To serve, stir crème fraîcheto loosen and spoon over top of each slice. Feel free to sweeten the crème fraîche with honey if you like (I prefer it unsweetened). Top with fruit of your choosing.